The main factor dragging Nevada down is education. The Sliver State ranked last.

The percentage of Nevada high school students not graduating or graduating late in 2010 is double the national average. On the positive side, Nevada’s graduation rate improved since 2006.

Nevada also ranks highest in the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds not enrolled in preschool, but those figures are also improving.

Nevada’s 16 percent of children without health insurance in 2011 is also the worst rating in the nation, although the report notes a 20-percent improvement since 2008.

The economic well-being ranking is a mixed bag, despite Nevada ranking 48th there. Nevada ranks towards the middle with the percentage of children in poverty. We’re a little bit worse when it comes to parental unemployment.

In housing costs, Nevada ranks 43rd in percentage of income spent on housing, meaning housing is expensive compared with wages earned.